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Editor:

Once again our civic/county leaders inform us that our homes, families and our lives will not be safe if Measure Z is not passed. Government always has and always will do a very poor job spending our money. We've all heard the stories of government waste and lack of common sense. More money thrown at government only creates more government. A program is created to fix a problem that the government created initially. According to a county information officer the projected amount that will be gained by the passage of Measure Z will be $6 million or less than 2 percent of a $305 million county budget. Let's make our county department heads and county officials be a little more accountable/creative/and sensible to us the tax paying citizens and not to the "nanny" state. Instead of scare tactics try to think of saving tactics. Vote no on Measure Z.

Rick Brennan, Eureka

Editor:

According to what I've read, Measure Z is intended to raise money for more law enforcement, the idea being that if we had more deputies and police officers everyone would be safer and business would be better.

I believe that adding more police will not make us a better or a safer community. A better approach would be to use the tax money to establish legal camping areas for the homeless and increase the services available to those who have been damaged by the economy. Simply having more officers available to chase people with no resources from one illegal camp to another will not solve the problem. Providing these people with a decent place to sleep and shower will.

For that reason, I will vote no on Z.

Mary Ella Anderson, Arcata

Editor:

Measure Z, the proposed countywide sales tax, will raise the price of basic necessities like shoes, clothes and toiletries, as well as most other things, for everyone in Humboldt County. This new tax will most severely impact Humboldt County's students, working people, low-income families, disabled people and seniors living on fixed incomes. It is particularly unfair to fund county government with a sales tax because the primary purpose of county government is to secure the property rights of property owners. If you own property, county government works for you, whether you live here or not. If you don't own property, county government are the people who evict you from your home. If Measure Z passes, Humboldt County's low-income residents will begin paying their landlords' tax bills. Measure Z is a cynical ploy to take advantage of the county's most vulnerable. Please, vote no on Measure Z.

John Hardin, Redway

Editor:

As part of a volunteer organization in Eureka, I've worked with both Natalie Arroyo and Kim Bergel and know them to be smart, energetic, and hardworking. Both have made contributions to improve our city; Kim, as chair of Eureka's Transportation Safety Commission along with other volunteer commitments, and Natalie through her work at Redwood Community Action Agency and her service in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. What impresses me about them is their solutions for an improved Eureka. Please go to their respective websites or Facebook pages to learn about the issues and their solutions. Both have committed to work for safe streets and to attract stable manufacturing jobs. Eureka is not thriving under our current leadership but we could with new energy and better ideas! Both must be elected to have a city council majority able to implement their solutions. Please vote for Natalie and Kim to improve Eureka.

Jane Stock, Eureka

Editor:

The campaign website for Kim Bergel, candidate for Eureka City Council, misleads the voters.

It states she will work to "require operators of sober living houses to have business licenses." She implies that the council has the power to require these licenses, and they do not. Sober houses with six or fewer residents are permitted in single-family zones — as mandated by state law.

The way to change existing State law is through the California Legislature — not through the city. The incumbent has already begun a dialog on this issue with Mike McGuire and Jim Woods. Let him continue that work.

Re-elect Mike Newman on Nov. 4.

Lora Canzoneri, Arcata

Editor:

I support Juan Fernandez for Arcata City Council for many reasons. Arcata is very fortunate to have a candidate of such high caliber and integrity. I moved to Humboldt County, and particularly Arcata, for a reason. Over the past 10-plus years, Arcata has degraded rapidly. The Humboldt state of mind that I moved here for is no longer represented in the Arcata city politics, to say the least, and the culture is under attack and likewise shifting.

Juan has the awareness, integrity, inspiration, vision and skillset that Arcata desperately needs. I want to see relationships with HSU improved, an interconnected loving and abundant community, a car-free plaza, city-run Internet, and Arcata to embrace and rock the local economy like none other. This means facilitating and incubating the legal cannabis industry, really dealing with the corrupt influences of the state trickling through HSU, and embracing sustainable technology to foster economic resilience.